embezzle
verb
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English is full of verbs that mean “to steal” (such as pilfer, rob, swipe, plunder, filch, and thieve). But when it comes to stealing property (and in this context, money is a kind of property) that has been entrusted to you, embezzle wins the prize. The word most often refers to theft of company or government funds that one has charge of, and embezzlement is therefore a hallmark of white-collar crime—that is, crime committed by so-called “white-collar” workers. In the 15th century, around the time that embezzlement entered English (the ultimate root is Anglo-French besiller “to steal, plunder”), it would have also been possible to say that such plunderers “bezzled” company cash, but bezzle is now considered obsolete.
Examples of embezzle in a Sentence
Adam Taylor, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2023
Girardi is under federal indictment in two jurisdictions — L.A. and Chicago — for allegedly embezzling $18 million from clients in what prosecutors have described as a decades-long Ponzi scheme involving settlement money.
—Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2023
In addition, a deputy economy minister is on trial, accused of embezzling from humanitarian aid funds.
—Andrew E. Kramer, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Sep. 2023
Within a month, the former lawyer was tangled in a complicated web of legal controversies: He was accused of embezzling client funds for his own personal spending; he was sued by his former law firm partners; and his law firm was facing bankruptcy.
—Lynsey Eidell, Peoplemag, 23 Aug. 2023
And on Friday, Ukrainian media reported that and a court set bail at more than $25,000 for a former deputy minister of economy accused of embezzling humanitarian aid.
—Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2023
Last year, Jayne was dismissed from a lawsuit that alleged that her husband embezzled $2 million from the families of victims of the 2018 Lion Air crash in Indonesia.
—Doha Madani, NBC News, 30 Aug. 2023
For decades, Imelda and her husband, the President and eventual dictator Ferdinand Marcos (Jose Llana), embezzled billions, a level of state theft that needed nine years of brutal martial law in order to operate at scale.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 21 July 2023
In early 2020, Smith was charged with 10 offenses by state prosecutors in the probe accusing him of embezzling money from his former office's forfeiture funds.
—Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press, 1 Aug. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'embezzle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Middle English embesilen, from Anglo-French embesiller to make away with, from en- + besiller to steal, plunder
15th century, in the meaning defined above
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Cite this Entry
“Embezzle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/embezzle. Accessed 23 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
embezzle
verb
Legal Definition
embezzle
transitive verb
Anglo-French embeseiller to make away with, from en-, prefix stressing completion + beseller to snatch, misappropriate, from Old French, to destroy
More from Merriam-Webster on embezzle
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for embezzle
Nglish: Translation of embezzle for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of embezzle for Arabic Speakers
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